The Food and Drug Administration just approved a new round of updated COVID-19 vaccines for the fall, but fewer Americans will be eligible for the shots for the first time.

The agency, under the guidance of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., issued the approvals for the new COVID vaccines only for people who are 65 and older or have underlying health conditions.

In previous years, the annual COVID booster shot was widely approved, not just cleared for specific populations. The change could affect insurance coverage for the shots and means that patients seeking the new vaccines may now need to have them prescribed by a doctor off-label.

The government also revoked the emergency use authorizations used to make the COVID vaccines widely available since they were fir

See Full Page